Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo

Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (4 July 1807-18 January 1890) was a Mexican-American politician, a member of the California State Senate in 1850, and the founder of the city of Sonoma, California.

Biography
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was born in Monterey, Alta California, New Spain in 1807 to a family of Californios of Galician descent. While working as a clerk, he learned English, French, and Latin in addition to his native Spanish, and he served in the territorial legislature in 1824 while serving in the Mexican Army. In 1831, he helped in Pio Pico's rise to power, and he founded Sonoma in 1834 and was given command of Northern California in 1835. He built the Presidio of Sonoma to counter the Russians of Fort Ross, and he put down an Anglo uprising in 1840. He soon became dissatisfied with California's rule from Mexico City, and he came to believe that California would have a better chance at economic and cultural development under the United States. In 1842, he was replaced as military governor of Alta California, and, in 1846, he was taken prisoner during the Bear Flag Revolt before being released due to his strong pro-American sympathies. He persuaded wealthy Californios to accept American rule, served as a delegate to the state constitutional convention, and served in the State Senate in 1850. In 1851, the city of Vallejo was named for him, and the state legislature convened there. He died in Sonoma in 1890 at the age of 82.